


safety in numbers

by dcb_z



Category: Hyper Light Drifter
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen, Terminal Illnesses, They/Them Pronouns for The Guardian (Hyper Light Drifter), drifter is a stubborn little man
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-20 15:46:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30007185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dcb_z/pseuds/dcb_z
Summary: Sometimes, having someone to watch your back is nice, even if Drifter isn't a big fan of relying on people.
Relationships: The Drifter & The Guardian (Hyper Light Drifter), The Drifter/The Guardian (Hyper Light Drifter)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 5





	safety in numbers

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [i offer you my swollen lungs](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29638434) by [krystian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/krystian/pseuds/krystian). 



> the ending of krystian's fic gave me many ideas for more fic (and honestly their work gave me newfound motivation to write more hld fic) and so i wanted to write this unofficial continuation of one of their works :))

“Are you feeling better this morning?” they ask, taking care of any of the straggling embers remaining in the fire.

A small nod. It should be no surprise to Drifter that some sleep had done him wonders. To be honest with himself, it was some of the best sleep he’d had in a while, but he wasn’t about to tell Guardian that. Not when last night was the first time he’d willfully let himself nestle up against someone’s body for warmth like he did. The small cold he had last night must’ve really gone to his head for him to have decided to wrap himself up in Guardian’s cloak and press against their side and  _ let them wrap an arm around him _ .

But… part of him doesn’t mind, really. He seldom-- no, he  _ never _ travelled with others, so sleeping was always a dubious ordeal wrought with worries over if something was going to creep up on him in the night and try to attack him. And even with a fire going, his thin body was more often than not chilled from sleeping on the ground or up against a tree. Last night, with Guardian’s fur-trimmed coat and their body against his and their arm around him and their gentle breathing lulling him to sleep--

No. Best not to dwell on it. Drifter pulls Guardian’s cloak off of his shoulders and hands it to the taller drifter, who kindly accepts it and begins fastening it about their shoulders. He, in turn, pulls his cloak from the ground and gives it a small shake. It dried overnight thanks to the warmth of the fire, and now the only reminder it bears of Drifter’s nearly-fatal fall into the waters of the East is the faint smell of salt. He swallows, pushing the memory of the growing darkness and bubbles of air escaping from his lips and the  _ helplessness _ from his mind.

He’s grateful he didn’t have any nightmares about it. How embarrassing it would’ve been for him to have bolted awake in a cold sweat and had Guardian see him vulnerable once again. Not that it would be a particularly new thing, Drifter realizes: so far, their entire relationship had been an endless string of himself being vulnerable and needing Guardian to step in and save him in some form or another and him stubbornly trying to refuse the help.

And where had that gotten him? Silently, Drifter walks to the edge of the platform that Guardian had set up camp on and stares into the deceptively still waters. Guardian offered him a place to stay. He left at his first opportunity and made scant progress in the mountains before he collapsed and was carried back to Guardian’s home. Almost as soon as he was able to again, he left for the East and was pulled down by the currents and was rescued yet again by Guardian.

He looks over his shoulder at them. They’re waiting for him, idly adjusting their armor, but give no sign of impatience or restlessness. This person must have a great degree of patience, Drifter supposes, to be able to put up with all of his stubbornness and still seem eager to help. It’s… nice, maybe, to have someone supporting him like this. To have someone seem to always swoop in at just the right moment to save him from his own recklessness. But at the same time, a part of him hates it. He hates the vulnerability. He hates feeling like he needs to be rescued-- that he’s  _ weak _ enough to need it. He’s gotten this far on his own, he doesn’t need someone following him around, waiting for him to fail, waiting to step in and help him out.

Drifter walks towards Guardian. “Are you ready to go?” they ask, looking down at him.

_ As if I need you to come with me,  _ he thinks, but he doesn’t say it, because as much as he hates it, he knows the truth: he  _ does _ need someone to come with him for now. He’s still weak, and this affliction of his isn’t letting him get much better. And if it has to be anyone… well, Drifter admits that he’d like it to be Guardian.

He nods to them in affirmation and gets a slight nod in return from Guardian. They gesture forward. “Lead the way.”

**Author's Note:**

> i'm a little rusty at writing since i've been so BUSY with school aaahhhhhhhhhh
> 
> anyways pls go read krystian's hld works, they're so good and such an inspiration


End file.
